Wrong-way driver killed in collision on Interstate 5

LODI - Southbound lanes of Interstate 5 north of Lodi were closed early Friday morning after a wrong-way driver died in a head-on collision with a big rig, the California Highway Patrol said.

Jason Anderson

LODI - Southbound lanes of Interstate 5 north of Lodi were closed early Friday morning after a wrong-way driver died in a head-on collision with a big rig, the California Highway Patrol said.

The crash was reported at 1:42 a.m. on Interstate 5 south of West Peltier Road, officers said. A man in a 1996 Plymouth was traveling south on northbound I-5 when he collided with a 2009 Kenworth driven by Dalvir Singh, 29, of Livingston, authorities said.

The collision caused the big rig to cross the center median into southbound lanes, where it collided with a 2013 Ford, the CHP said. Moments later, a 2005 Toyota, which was traveling south on I-5, collided with the big rig, which was blocking southbound lanes, officers said.

The wrong-way driver sustained fatal injuries in the crash, authorities said. The San Joaquin County Coroner's Office identified the driver as Brett Ashley Cowdrey, 30, of Riverbank.

The driver of the big rig was not injured, the CHP said. The driver of the Ford, 61-year-old Denise Walker of Stockton, suffered minor injuries and was taken to a hospital, officers said. The man driving the Toyota, 31-year-old Donnie Huang of Stockton, was uninjured in the crash, the CHP said.

Southbound lanes of I-5 were closed for investigation and vehicle removal, officers said. It was not yet known whether drugs or alcohol were a factor in the collision, authorities said.

Contact reporter Jason Anderson at (209) 546-8279 or janderson@recordnet.com. Follow him at recordnet.com/crimeblog and on Twitter @Stockton911.